Record/playback apparatus

Abstract

A record / playback apparatus includes a recording unit that records a televised program being received by a receiving unit to a disk-shaped recording medium such as a DVD or HD. Also, a commercial message detecting unit detects a switch from main program to commercial message and a switch from commercial message to main program. The recording unit records the main program and commercial messages inserted in the main program to the recording medium under separate titles, based on a result of the detection by the commercial message detecting unit.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE [0001] This Nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No. 2005-224366 filed in Japan on Aug. 2, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a record / playback apparatus that records a televised program to a disk-shaped recording medium such as a DVD or a HD, and plays the program recorded on the recording medium. [0003] Conventionally, record / playback apparatuses that receive televised programs and record the received programs to disk-shaped recording media such as DVD (digital versatile disk) or HD (hard disk), and that play programs recorded on recording media are in widespread use. There are also record / playback apparatuses capable of recording programs to both DVD and HD, and playing recorded programs. Most television stations insert commercial messages (hereinafter, “CMs”) in the main program. Conventional record / playbac...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] Thus, it is possible to play just the main program, or to play just the commercial messages inserted in the main program. For example, when the user only wants to watch the CMs inserted in the main program for a change, he or she is able to continuously play and watch just the CMs inserted in the main program. Again, when the user wants to skip the CMs inserted in the main program, he or she can also play just the main program. Consequently, it is possible to get a greater number of users to watch CMs inserted in the main program without reducing usability.

[0010] The record / playback apparatus may be configured to record a plurality of temporally consecutive commercial messages inserted in the main program to a recording medium under the same title name. In this case, an increase in the number of titles recorded on the recording medium is suppressed. Increasing the user's workload related to managing titles recorded on the recording medium and reducing usability can thus be prevented.

Problems solved by technology

However, while conventional apparatuses, in terms of usability, were able to playback a recorded program without the CMs, that is, continuously play just the main program, they were not able to continuously play just the CMs inserted in the main program.

Thus, the user was not able to continuously watch just the CMs inserted in a recorded program.

This factor contributed to the drop in users who watch CMs inserted in the main program.

For example, even if the user only wanted to watch the CMs inserted in the main program for a change, he or she was not able to continuously play and watch just the CMs inserted in the main program.

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